It has been over a month since I've made it out to Sawhill Ponds, one of my favorite places in the Boulder area.
I've been stuck inside the past 2 weeks with my day job and catching up on the business side of photography. So… So… Fun ;-)
I was on the lookout for some good wildlife shots, but missed out on the couple opportunities for the day. As the seasons change you can often find migrating birds stopping off at the wetlands this area provides, but on this day I had to just enjoy the hike, and later transition into some quick Landscape opportunities.
The main pond on the Walden side of the refuge was full of waterfowl and the island in the center was a haven for the pelicans to dry out their wings. This Great Blue Heron wanted in on the action. Unfortunately the island is too far out for my Canon EF 100-400mm lens to get a detailed image.
Great Blue Heron and American Pelican drying out their wings together. Taken with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Settings: ISO 320 - 400mm - f6.3 - 1/1600
Continuing on from there we didn’t see much else besides geese and ducks and towards the back of Sawhill my son got a bloody nose, which he gets from time to time. With nothing to help clean him up we made for Boulder Creek to get some cold water to help stop the bleeding and clean off the blood.
All cleaned up, and with the kids getting some crucial time spent throwing sticks into the water, I was able to get a shot of the creek with some beautiful fall colors along the bank.
Boulder Creek as it flows next to Sawhill Ponds Wildlife Preserve. Taken with Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Settings: 1/125s - f9.0 - ISO 160 @ 100mm
To keep with the theme of things not quite going our way, we went to the area that we usually see owls, and while scouting for them, we spooked one and it flew off before I could get the shot. They camouflage so well that there are times where you’ll be within 100 feet and not know it until too late.
Thankfully on the walk back to the truck we were treated to a nice evening autumn sunset, and stopped to capture some shots of this beautiful tree. The light was back-lighting the leaves and grass below, and if you look close you can see the tree looks as though it was split between two seasons with one half green and the other a fiery autumn orange.
What is your favorite location to escape to and get a dose of nature? Let me know here in the comments or on facebook.